1 Lucky Texan

keep all 4 tires identical - same brand/model/size don't let some yahoo confuse fluid drain/fills CONFIRM that the rollers, idlers, tensioner, were changed along with the belt at the last timing belt system service - with parts of japanese manufacture. the schedule is 105 months, or 105K miles, w'ever comes first.

seems like a good indication someone was really zooming around. Might explain worn-out trans. My 5spd ate 2nd gear at under 70K miles and I have NO power mods.! You should probably consider a clutch fork upgrade too if the clutch is upgraded. If at all possible, get a 6 spd swap. Talk to local tuners/shops about it. www.nasioc.com would be a good place to search/read/ask about options for the car going forward. Heck, someone in this sub-forum , https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=21 ,may even recognize the car!

shifter bushings might also be causing a problem. don't use synthetic GL-5 in the trans - many folks report problems. a cheap-ish fluid that some folks like, is the synthetic 'blend' sold at walmart. Subaru's gear oil is good, Motul is good but pricey, Amsoil Severe Gear is good. Any name brand conventional gl-5 should be OK. If you still seem to have problems, drain the oil into a clean container and save it for your replacement trans. check car-part.com or maybe consider a JDM trans.

someone may have put it in to try to SOLVE an abused trans. Or, try to quiet it to re-sell...? might be an indication the car was being abused - any other signs of modifications? how much sludge was on the magnet?

Smurf Blood! some folks use Redline Lightweight Shockproof, which is green-ish. Others might use a 'cocktail' with 2-3 fluids, one of which is the LW SP. it's good stuff on its own in a manual trans with no pump, or in a diff, but, if it's in a mix, - what with? https://www.redlineoil.com/lightweight-shockproof

wh....what's in my 06 WRX ?

hmmmm....maybe check for a harness near the little u-joint on the steering column near the firewall, on some models I think it has rubbed into some wires.

even if you drill it out from the backside with increasingling larger bits, if you end-up damaging the threads, you can use a thru-bolt with a washer and nut.

just guessing, did you see the car on the lot? I'm sure if the title can't be found, they can get a replacement. But, sometimes, excuses are made for other reasons. I once had a lot try to scare me off by saying an advertised car wasn't on the lot because it was being repaired. I said, that's cool, when is it gonna be back for a test drive, some other guy came out and said it had a bad headgasket - I said, that might not be show stopper, can you call me when it's available? The first guy said yeah, we'll def. do that. I gave them my number, never got a call. Always wondered if it was some kind of bait and switch thing or what was really going on.

hmmmm....wonder if 'not finding the title' was how they told you 'no, deal is off' .?

40 is a little high for normal driving, check the manual or sticker on the door frame for proper values - but yes, if they all aren't the same 'rolling radius' you can have torque bind. If that was the issue, great. because some others ways that torque bind occurs require transmission work.

does seem like torque bind. Try tight circles without, then with fuse in place. Let us know results. tell us about your tires, they must be identical - not just same size, same brand/model as well. Also, is the car new to you? could it have had a trans or rear diff replaced?

Subaru dealer? in a new thread, you could aask for a shop suggestion near your city - someone may know of a Subaru-friendly independent mechanic. Talk to them about a pre-purchase inspection. Use any serious issues as a reason to either walk away, or get a lower price. At minimum, you waant to drive on-off the freeway after warm-up and watch the temp gauge and maybe look at the overflow bottle for excess fluid or bubbles. Drive in tight circles on dry pavement - should be no grabbing/bucking. Tires need to be IDENTICAL - not just same size - same brand and model too. If they cannot prove unequivocally that a PROPER timing belt system service was done, assume you need to have that done at least.

only used it once so far, but the BAFX I got from Amazon works on my 03 outback. fyi

^^^^ yeah, metal or rusty debris on the sensor might cause intermittent operation - good post

I think early ABS had an issue with a relay or something buzzing, but this seems different, like a bad wheel sensor or a wire/connector that's intermittent.

GD can confirm but, I don't think the style tensioner on a 2.2 has a reputation for making the same noise as the newer style can.

is the lower rad. hose getting hot?

AFAIK, open loop is after an ECU reset, just for a few miles or a coupla starts - it begins altering settings as it gathers info from the sensors - not at every start. do you run high octane fuel? It's recommended.

does the car run normally/better immediately after a battery disconnect reset? bafx with a smartphone and torque app might work for you sometimes, sensors can fail at high temp - crank sensor for instance engine temp sensor might be bad, car runs good cold, but the sensor is always telling the ECU to 'choke' because it's cold - if that has been a problem for a long time, might explain cooked cat converter ??? knock sensor can rob power, but they are usually cracked and bad all the time. getting live data may help find the problem so, hope one of the gurus here can spot an issue in the data.

did you set a code? P2138 or similar?

does the car have any aftermarket electronic gear? Remote start or security system?

seems opposite of piston slap so, I'm thinking it could be rod knock. I think an oil sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis could be definitive. Or, post a link to a recording, maybe one of the gurus here could ID the noise.

I've never used one but, there some 'piggy-back' connectors you can jam into the fuse block - use an in-line fuse with it and you may be able to power that wire.